Thompson is the coordinator for NewburghFoodCo, a local shopping club that works through a national network called Wholeshare. Club members select from more than 3,500 items, checking daily updates on the shifting inventory. The idea is that pooling their buying power allows them to get better food at cheaper prices. Wholeshare doesn't charge a fee or require individual customers to order a minimum amount.

Newburgh is a city without a major supermarket. A handful of small grocery stores and dozens of bodegas are the only option for those without the inclination or transportation to shop major markets in the towns of Newburgh and New Windsor. A mid-size supermarket is part of a developer's plans for downtown, but it's little more than a sketch for now.

Christine Hutchinson-Pugh said the club is a perfect alternative. She is a member and also a seller, hand-delivering eggs to the group. She opened a carton of green and brown eggs to show a visitor.

"I've dyed nothing," she said.

The club is a work in progress, and delivery night still feels a little like helping a friend move. A tractor-trailer pulls up outside the shop, and club members help unload boxes and try to figure out who ordered the coconuts and how much arugula makes a pound.

Paula Stevens and her husband, artist Richard Harper, moved about seven years ago to Dubois Street. She usually shopped at Hannaford in New Windsor or hauled groceries back from Trader Joe's and Fairway in New Jersey. She was among the first to join NewburghFoodCo.

"It's sort a community thing," she said. "It feels like a community effort."

They've received two of the biweekly deliveries so far. The first was sent to the Newburgh Art Supply store at 5 Grand St., where co-owner Michael Gabor had been helping Thompson organize the club. The second delivery was sent to Healing Arts Studio at 75 Broadway, owned by another club member, Lisa Gervais.

Thompson said about 130 people had joined the club by the time of the second delivery, with maybe 20 core members. He's paying close attention. Eventually, he said, he might like to open a grocery store.